Charges in 2011 home invasion dropped against suspect in fatal Lake Gaston home invasion

The two men charged in the death of a woman following a Lake Gaston home invasion last week have lengthy criminal records.

Posted 8:09 p.m. Mar 15, 2018 — Updated 6:07 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Bryan Mims

, WRAL anchor/reporter

LITTLETON, N.C. — Lester Kearney has been in this situation before.

Kearney, one of two men charged Wednesday in a series of crimes last week that began with a home invasion at Lake Gaston and ended with a woman dead, was charged seven years ago in a fatal home invasion.

Three people were shot inside a Roanoke Rapids home in January 2011, one of whom later died. Kearney was charged with murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Two years later, however, all of those charges were dropped, and he was convicted only of obstruction of justice in the case, according to court records.

The case is only part of Kearney's extensive criminal record. Since 2002, the 34-year-old has been convicted of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and larceny, and he has pending breaking and entering charges in Moore County.

Likewise, Kevin Munn, 30, has several previous convictions on his record, including larceny and tampering with phone or communications equipment. Records show that he was charged with seven felonies in Vance County last year, but he pleaded guilty in October to misdemeanor breaking and entering and larceny as part of a plea agreement and was placed on probation, DPS records show.

Kearney and Munn are charged with first-degree murder in the Friday death of 76-year-old Nancy Alford.

Authorities said two masked intruders burst into Alford's home on Mulberry Court in Littleton Friday morning and kidnapped her. One of the men drove her to a State Employees' Credit Union branch in Roanoke Rapids and forced her to withdraw money from an ATM, while the second man stayed in the home with her husband, John Alford.

Nancy Alford was driven back to the house on Lake Gaston, where the intruders beat up her husband before setting the home ablaze with the couple tied up inside, authorities said.

Investigators comb through the rubble of a burned-out house in Littleton on March 9, 2018, where they say fire was used to conceal evidence of a home invasion and kidnapping. A woman died in the fire, while her husband was able to escape.

John Alford, a minister, was able to escape, but his wife, a noted psychologist, didn't make it out of the burning house. John Alford remains at Duke University Hospital.

Despite the numerous felonies, prosecutors never charged Kearney or Munn as habitual felons, which could have led to stiffer prison sentences. Kearney's outstanding Moore County charges do include being a habitual felon.

Warren County District Attorney Mike Waters declined Thursday to discuss the men's prior records. More charges will be filed against both men in the coming days, he said.

Kearney is being held without bond in the Vance County jail, while Munn is being held without bond in the Warren County jail. Authorities said they want to keep them separated.

Waters said Wednesday that the Alfords were targeted for a robbery. On Thursday, he said one of the two suspects knew of the couple, but he wouldn't elaborate.

Kearney's mother, Doris Nelson, said she doesn't know where her son went wrong.

"This is eating us up," Nelson said of what happened to the Alfords.

Suggest A Correction